Members of the healthcare professionals addressed the Cobble Hill Association (CBA) and community members at University Hospital of Brooklyn at Long Island College Hospital.

The two main issues discussed were care for children and the elderly.

Tony Lewis, President and CEO of the Cobble Hill Health Center, said,

“The problem is everyone's needs are so different,” said Tony Lewis, president and CEO o the Cobble Hill Health Center.

Lewis said his nursing home is working on setting up a phone number for community members who care for an elderly family member to call with general questions.

“We do have a lot of experience, we have lot of knowledge, and while we may not be the best resource for you there are a multitude of different resources out there,” he said. “Sometimes it's a case of steering people in the right direction to the right kind of organization.”

However, money becomes an issue. At Cobble Hill Heath Center, paying privately will cost someone $500 a day. Lewis said that it is important for everyone to constantly budget for the future because even with Medicare and Medicaid, insurance can run out which leaves people with very little options.

Care for children is also a concern, as Cobble Hill has one of the highest populations of children under three years of age.

Stanley Fisher, chair of Pediatrics at SUNY Downstate Medical Center, spoke about what is being done to help children in the area.

“We're here for you and we're not going away,” assured Stanley Fisher, chair of Pediatrics at SUNT Downstate Medical Center. “We have to be a little better and a little more available.”

However, he said that private pediatricians in the area need to refer their patients to SUNY Downstate rather than “sending them across the river” into Manhattan.

When asked by a community member what the residents of Cobble Hill can do to help the pediatricians at the medical center Fisher said, “We have to listen to what you think your needs are, rather than tell you what we want to provide you,” he said. “We need to listen a little bit more.”